Taliban assures Uzbekistan no threat will be posed to it from Afghanistan - Uzbek Foreign Ministry

TASHKENT. Oct 7 (Interfax) - The Taliban (banned in Russia) have assured Uzbekistan that no threat to its security will ever come from Afghanistan's territory, the Uzbek Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.

An Uzbek delegation led by Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov held negotiations in Kabul with the leadership of Afghanistan led by Mulla Abdul Kabir, acting deputy prime minister in charge of political affairs. Afghanistan's deputy prime minister for economic affairs and ministers of transport, civil aviation, public work, energy, and water economy also took part in the meeting.

"The parties discussed the current situation in the country, efforts to provide humanitarian and other aid to the Afghan people, and the implementation of major infrastructure projects in the energy and transport sectors," the Foreign Ministry said.

Members of Afghanistan's provisional government expressed their sincere gratitude to Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev "for his immense attention to the Afghan people's aspirations and the invaluable humanitarian aid aimed at preventing a massive food crisis," the ministry said.

Afghanistan highly praised the Uzbek president's policy of pursuing a constructive and mutually beneficial dialogue with the new Afghan authorities and President Mirziyoyev's call on the international community to unfreeze Afghanistan's assets abroad, it said.

The members of the Afghan delegation also thanked the Uzbek leadership for its contribution to resuming the operations of the Mazar-e-Sharif international airport and the uninterrupted functioning of the Uzbek-Afghan border, through which food and other staples are shipped into the country, the ministry said.

"The parties reached an agreement on holding joint talks in Termez in the near future to discuss trade-economic matters, including the construction of the Surxon-Puli Khumri power transmission line and a railroad linking Mazar-e-Sharif, Kabul, and Peshawar," it said.

Afghanistan vowed to ensure the security of Uzbek specialists involved in implementing said projects, the ministry said.

"Kabul also declared firmly that no threat to the security of brotherly Uzbekistan will ever emanate from Afghanistan's territory," it said.

Kamilov also held separate negotiations with acting Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, the ministry said.